Spiral drinking straw



June 30,1970 HORVATH 3,517,884

. SPIRAL DRINKING STRAW Jim's/W66 STEPf/ A a 115% TH,

MGM

irmouegz United States Patent r 3,517,884 SPIRAL DRINKING STRAW Stephen D. Horvath, 127 Warner St., Oceanside, Calif. 92054 Filed Aug. 5, 1968, Ser. No. 750,051

Int. Cl. B67d US. Cl. 239-33 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE This is a tube for drinking fluids, particularly for use by children or others wherein it is desirable to provide a form of entertainment by the use of the drinking tube commonly referred to as a drinking straw.

The device is based upon a plastic or similar tube having a series of spiral-like loops such that the fluid being used may be caused to pass through a series of vertical or horizontal loops and other gyrations in reaching the user.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Field of the invention This invention is in the general field of tubes for drinking liquids and particularly relates to a tube providing entertainment for children when drinking liquids.

Description of the prior art The use of tubes of various types for drawing liquid into ones mouth is very prevalent and the use is very old. There have been various and sundry tubes including glass tubes used in hospitals and other such items which have been made for specialized purposes. Such tubes occasionally provide for a flexing or for a bend for use when confined to bed and the like.

However, there have not been tubes devised for this purpose which have entertainment qualities. The particular tube of this invention is so designed as to have multiple entertainment uses for children and particularly for children who may be confined to bed with illness or the like.

SUMMARY In the taking of liquids; tubes, commonly referred to as drinking straws, are used universally. Such tubes are a convenient way to drink most liquids and are particularly a necessary manner for the drinking of liquids by those confined with certain illnesses where they must remain in relatively fixed positions: As, for example, when confined in a hospital in bed.

Such persons, particularly children, frequently are not desirous, because of illness or inactivity, of taking their proper liquid diets. Also in the case of children they are frequently bored and uninterested when so confined in a hospital or the like.

I have now invented a new and unique drinking tube or drinking straw for the use of such persons and particularly children, in which an entertainment factor has been incorporated so that the users may be entertained during the drinking of liquids and may also be encouraged in the drinking of liquids when desired.

I have provided a drinking tube in which there are spiral arrangements, and in which the stems are so arranged that one in a reclining position may easily draw the liquids from the liquid container. It is possible with this invention to cause the liquid to spiral horizontally or vertically while being taken and also to impart a sparkling and colorful appearance as it is used.

It is an object of this invention to provide a drinking tube in which the liquid will have an entertainment factor as it is being drawn through the tube; another object 3,517,884 Patented June 30, 1970 is to provide a drinking tube which will provide a curiosity factor for the use of children; a further object is to provide a drinking tube in which the liquids being used may be imagined to be changing color during use.

The foregoing and other objects and advantages of this invention will be clear to those skilled in the art upon reading the following specification in conjunction with the attached drawings.

Brief description of the drawings DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT This invention is titled spiral drinking straw. It will be seen that a preferred embodiment of this invention consists of a tube 10 formed ofplastic, glass, or other suitable material preferably clear or translucent so that the material within the tube may be seen through the tube. The tube has two stems 12 and 13 at essentially right angles to one another and a series of spiral loops 14, 15, and 16 as indicated.

It will be observed from FIG. 1 that when the tube is being used in this position one end 13 is in the liquid 22 in container 20 and the other end may be used by the user to draw the liquid through the spiral generally horizontally.

It will further be observed that in connection with FIG. 2, the same identical tube may be inverted so that the ends are transposed, and end 12 is now in liquid 22 in container 30. In this position it is now seen that the same unit will enable one to draw the liquid through the series of spirals in a generally vertical direction. It will be noted that during use of this unit, regardless of the position, that the liquid will be required to go through the various loops and thus traverse a spiraling pattern while being used. In traversing this pattern and depending upon the velocity imparted by varying degrees of suction by the user, the fluid patterns will be such that the material will swirl in different patterns as well be clear to those familiar with the flow of fluids in a confined passage and through changes of direction.

Also, while drinking, When one ceases to drink for a moment the fluid will go through a reverse or partial reverse action and by alternately drinking and stopping, the fluid may be forced through the spirals in various manners for entertainment purposes.

In an alternate embodiment irregular spiral and similar gyrations 40 may be incorporated as indicated particularly in FIG. 4. Also, an interesting embodiment of an alternative nature may include segments of a diiferent tinted material for example as shown, there may be an area of blue 45, red 43, yellow 44, and the like. When constructed in this manner, being composed of segments of different colored materials, or of an overall varigated color if desired, the fluid will once again impart a most interesting pattern and provide great entertainment. In this embodiment there is, also, shown a bell-like portion 50 on stem 41 so that an end like end 42 could fit in bell 50 in order to join various such units together.

Another interesting variation is indicated in FIG. 5 wherein the two stems may have an area of a reduced size 63 and 64 as compared to the spirals and the spirals may contain one or more plastic balls 60, 61 and 62 or the like. Once again depending upon the amount of suction applied, it will be possible for the user to cause the balls to bounce around in the different lops, and in particular an interesting game can be played in which there is one ball for each loop and the object is to attempt while drinking the material to cause one of the balls to drop into the lower portion of each of the loops. The constricted bends will, of course, prevent the balls from either flowing back into the fluid or into the mouth of the user.

While the embodiments of the invention shown and described are fully capable of achieving the objects and advantages desired, many modifications will be apparent to those skilled in the art and it is not my intent to be limited to the specific embodiments shown, which are for illustrative purposes only.

I claim:

1. A drinking tube comprising a hollow tubular material formed into a series of shapes having two relatively straight ends adapted to be placed into a container of liquid or in the mouth of the user, each of said ends having a constricted area of smaller internal diameter than the internal diameter of the shapes.

2. The device of claim 1 in which a loose item having a larger diameter than the internal diameter of the constricted areas and a smaller diameter than the internal diameter of the shapes is placed within the shapes.

3. The device of claim 2 in which there are one loose item for each basic shape portion.

4. A drinking tube comprising a hollow tube which is not opaque, said tube having two straight end portions and at least one loop intermediate said ends, in which each end is adaptable to be placed in a liquid container or to be used in the mouth of a person for drinking, in which there is a loose item in said loop.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,063,803 12/1936 Gildersleeve 23933 2,557,411 6/1951 Butsch 23933 M. HENSON WOOD, JR., Primary Examiner G. A. CHURCH, Assistant Examiner 

